Slipknot

Iowa

Nope

This is often cited as Slipknot's best record, and while I definitely do love it quite a bit, it's not my favorite. That being said, it may just be the band's most extreme album (to the point where I once saw a metal reviewing blog try to convince its readers it was an "avant-garde death metal album", not making that shit up), and includes some of my favorite tracks (People = Shit, Disasterpiece, My Plague, Left Behind, I Am Hated, New Abortion).

Slipknot's second album is a really good follow up to their debut. Intense instrumentals, brutal vocals, disturbing lyrics; it really is a great album. Only thing is: it's pretty damn similar to the first one. It seems that they didn't even try to change the sound, making it sound almost identical, and I don't know how I feel about that. I don't hate it, but it irritated me a bit.
This album doesn't have any bad songs, all are good, some are great. However, there aren't really any stand out ... read more

Regardless of how many subpar albums came around the nu-metal boom of the late 90's and early 2000's, "Iowa" is one of the best projects to come out of that scene. Utilizing growling guitars, flurries of drum beats, menacing bass lines, Corey's animalistic screaming, and sonic color ranging from DJ effects to the clanking of a beer keg, "Iowa" blends insanely catchy choruses and verses with heavy instrumentals, making an overall great and entertaining listening ... read more